Instrument holder



y 1951 s. H. SHERMAN 2,559,739

INSTRUMENT HOLDER Filed Nov. 4, 1947 7;70e/z/0'r:- Sax [V144 Jam/w 3M;

Patented July 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INSTRUMENT HOLDER Sidney H. Sherman, Chicago, 111.

Application November 4, 1947, Serial No. 783,877

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates in general to instrument holders, and has more particular reference to an inexpensive, collapsible device or stand adapted to be easily set up in operating position for Supporting musical instruments, such as horn mutes, maracas, and similar musical accessories, in convenient, readily accessible position, so that the musician may pick up any supported instrument for use at any time during a musical performance and return the instrument to the stand.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive instrument support of exceedingly simple, yet rugged construction, readily attachable, as on a music mounting rack, to provide means for separately supporting a number of musical accessories, such as horn mutes, maracas, and the like; a further object being to provide a support device of the character mentioned, which is readily collapsible to compact folded condition occupying minimum space for storage or transportation, and which is as readily opened to and locked in expanded operating position.

Another important object is to provide a collapsible support device comprising a minimum number of relatively simple and inexpensive parts; a further object being to provide a device comprising a sheet metal mounting arm and a plurality of instrument supporting arms pivotally mounted for fanning movement about a common mounting axis on said mounting arm, and easily operable clamp means for securing said instrument supportin arms in relatively fanned or in in relatively folded position.

Another object is to form the instrument supporting arm from inexpensive wire stock by providing an instrument supporting loop at one end of a wire stock piece and a pivot loop at the other end of the piece; a further object being to pivotally mount theseveral instrument supporting arms by assembling the pivot loops thereof upon a threaded clamping stem on the mounting arm, and provided with a threaded clamping nut for securing the instrument support arms in folded or fanned position on'the mounting arm.

Another important object is to provide a plurality of supporting arms of different length, whereby the supporting loops thereof are carried at different distances from the member on which the arms are mounted, thereby enabling said loops to be disposed in circumferentially offset or staggered position when the device is in open position;

another object bein to provide arms having support loops of unlike dimension to accommodate musical accessories of different size.

The foregoing and numerous other important objects, advantages, and inherent functions of the invention will become apparent as the same is more fully understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the present invention and shown in operative instrument supporting position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through the device shown in Fig. 1 when the same is in folded or collapsed position;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the device as shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-4 in Fig. 2.

To illustrate the invention, the drawings show an instrument support ll comprising a strip of sheet metal i2 forming a mounting member, said strip being twisted, as at [3, intermediate the ends thereof to dispose one end of the strip in a plane substantially at right angles with respect to the opposite end of the strip. One end of the strip is bent to provide a loop or hook I4 adapted to be applied detachably around any convenient support member, such as a rod or post [5, which for example, constitute the post of a music rack, on which it may be desired to anchor the device H, the terminal portions of the hook l4 being provided with a re-bent tip portion I6 carrying a thumb screw 11 adapted to be tightened in order to secure the hook it upon the member l5, and to be loosened in order to release the member i5 and allow the support device I l to be dismounted therefrom.

The strip i2, at its end remote from the hook I4, carries a threaded stem [8 fixed thereto in position extending at right angles with respect to the plane of said end of the strip. The threaded member It, thus, extends in a direction substantially parallel with respect to the support member IS on which the device may be mounted. The member !3 preferably comprises a standard bolt extending through an opening formed at the end of the member l2, with the head of the bolt welded or otherwise secured in place on the member l2. The member 58 serves to mount several instrument supporting arms l9 and 20 on the carrying member 92.

The arms l9 and 28 may conveniently be formed of wire stock, each arm being formed from a suitable length of wire by bending the same to form a mounting loop 2| at one end thereof. The mounting loops N of the several arms are preferabl of like size and adapted to slidingly receive the stem of the bolt it, whereby all of the support arms is and 29 may be as-- sembled on the stem and secured in place thereon, as by means of a holding and clamping nut 22, adapted for manual operation on the stern it to clamp the mounting loop portions of the several a s together on the member l2, or to release .the same for relative angular fanning movement about the axis of the stem l8. I

Each of the arms is and 20, at the end thereof remote from the mounting loop 29, is preier ably bent to provide a support loop 23;, the terminal end of the constituent wire being "welded, soldered, or otherwise attached to the body of the wire, as at 2%, to rigidiiy and strengthen the loop, or said terminal end may be left unattached, if desired.

The loops '23 of the several arms in be of un e size. As shown, the loops of the ms l9 pi ferably comprise loops of relatively large diameter, while those of the arms 2d be of lesser diameter, the arm length between the mounting and supporting loops 2i and 2?; being greater in the members than in the members it, so that when fanned in the manner shown in Fig. 1, the loops "23 of adjacent arms may be disposed at different distances with respect to the support stem i8, therebycircumferentlally staggering the loops to facilitate the application and removal of musical accessories. While the invention is not necessarily so restricted, I prefer to provide six supporting arms, as shown, and to maize three of said arms, such as the it, with relatively large loops is of identical size and configuration, the remaining arms Zll'having loops of relatively smaller size, said loops 25% of the arms Ell being all of the same size configuration.

I prefer, also, to mount the arms it, having the loops of relatively large size, on the stem it! im-- mediatel next to the member l2, and to form the loops 23 of said arms is of such a size as to register with the twisted portion it of thesupport member l2,so that when in collapsed posi-- tion, as shown in Fig. 3, the twisted hook carry ing portion of the member l2 ma be received within the loops 23 of the arms E9, to thereby minimize the over-all thickness of the device when in collapsed position.

In this connection, it will be noted that the loops of the arms is substantially encircle and enclose the hooked portion it of the support arm, including the thumb screw i'l, whereby said thumb screw, when the device is in collapsed position, is guarded by the loops of the arms is against becoming snagged. Accordingly, when the device is in collapsed position, it may be readily carried about, as in the pocket of the owner It will be noted, also, that the arms 23, when the device is in collapsed position, may extend diametrically with respect to the loops 23 of the arms l9, whereby said arms 20 and portions of the loops 23 thereof, will undei lie the loops 23 of the arms iii and close the same below the hook portion id of the mounting arm l2, thereby aiding in enclosing said hook and attached thumb screw within the loops 2% of the arms l9 when the device is in collapsed position. When so arranged, the relatively longer arms 20 and the loops 23 thereof do not materiallyincrease the folded bulk of the device. The Ed and 26, of course, may be secured in relative-1y folded position merely b tightening the l thumb nut 22, whereby the device in folded position ma be constituted as a neat, compact package occupying minimum space for convenient transportation or storage.

By loosening the thumb nut 22, the arms l9 and 20 may be relatively fanned to open position, as shown in Fig. 1, or to any other preferred relatively open position of the arms l9 and 20, on the support arm i2; and the arms i9 and 20 may be locked in open position on the'support arm 12 merely by tightening down the thumb nut 22.

When so tightened, the arms l9 and 20 are rigidly clamped against movement, so that the stand provides a rigid, solid support which may be anchored on any convenient base, such as is afforded by the stem or post of a music rack.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantages will be fully understood from the foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be madein the form,

construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention,'or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the form herein disclosed being a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A compactly foldable support stand comprising a sheet metal strip forming a mounting bar, said strip having a curled and offset portion forming an attaching clamp at one end of said bar, means forming a pivot on said bar in spaced relation with respect to said clamp, and a plurality of support members of like size and configuration and adjustably supported on said pivot for relative angular movement thereon, withrespect to each other and said bar, whereby the stand may be adjusted to open position in which the members and bar extend each in a different direction radially of the pin, said members comprising mounting portions connected on said pivot, and loop portions spaced from said mounting portions a distance such that, when said members are disposed in folded relationship, on said pivot, in alignment with said bar and each other,

the aligned loop portions of said members form an enclosure within which said curled and offset clamp forming portion is received and housed, to thereby present the support stand in compact conveniently pocketable condition when in folded relationship.

2. A compactly foldable support standcomprising a sheet metal strip forming a mounting bar, said strip having a curled and offset portion forming an attaching clamp at one end of said bar, means forming a pivot on said bar in spaced relation with respect to said clamp, a plurality of support members of like size and configuration and adjustably' supported on said pivot for relative angular movement thereon, with respect to eachother and said bar, whereby the stand may be adjusted to' open position in which the members and bar extend each in adifierentdirecti'on radially of the pin, said members comprising mounting portions connectedon said pivot; and loop portions spaced from saidmounting'portions a distance such that, whensaid members'are disposed in folded relationship, on said pivot, in

alignment with said bar and each other, the aligned loop portions of said members forman enclosure within which said curled and offset clamp forming portion is received-and housed, to thereby present the support stand in compact conveniently pocketable condition when in "folded relationship, and manually operable clamp means ior securing said members and bar in folded and in angularly adjusted position on said pivot.

3. A compactly foldable support stand comprising a sheet metal strip forming a mounting bar, said strip having a curled and offset portion forming an attaching clamp at one end of said bar, means forming a pivot on said bar in spaced relation with respect to said clamp, a plurality of support members of like size and configuration and adjustably supported on said pivot for relative angular movement thereon, with respect to each other and said bar, whereby the stand may be adjusted to open position in which the members and bar extend each in a difierent direction radially of the pin, said members comprising mounting portions connected on said pivot, and loop portions spaced from said mountin portions a distance such that, when said members are disposed in folded relationship, on said pivot, in alignment with said bar and each other, the aligned loop portions of said members form an enclosure within which said curled and ofiset clamp forming portion is received and housed, to

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 169,962 Cross Nov. 16, 1875 1,262,163 Beethoven Apr. 9, 1918 1,379,761 Hawthorne May 31, 1921 1,754,929 Atticks et a1 Apr. 15, 1930 2,355,835 Whalen Aug. 15, 1944 

